Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~3~871
2~337-314
The present invention relates to the resilient suspension
of tubular conduits.
Suspensions of the type to which the invention pertains
recolor that a spring contained, for example, within a casing is
dimensioned to be able to support the weight of a conduit suspended
generally on a tension rod. In the case of a pipe for the conduct
lion of steam, it will be observed, however, that the weight of
the steam is neglected in calculating the pertinent weight. Such
conduits have to be inspected from time to time with regard to
their pressure tightness. For this purpose they are filled with
water, which of course increases the weight, thus significantly
raising the load which the conduit exert upon its suspension. In
practice, it was found that the resilient suspension may in fact
become overloaded and completely compressed losing all of the
resiliency. Another instance has to be observed in that it may
be necessary at times to release the conduit or a portion thereof
from the suspension. In such eases the loading of the spring is
actually removed because the load is in fact omitted in its
entirety.
Considering these various abnormal conditions, it has been
suggested to provide certain stops or locking mechanisms for such
resilient suspensions, including, for example, bolts or pins which
lock the tension rod to the spring; housing in a foree-transmittinc3
relationship Other locking mechanisms are known; for example, the
spring disks may be positively connected to the spring casing
through an appropriate pin. In still other versions, it is known
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to provide teeth in the housing to be engaged with toothed locking
sheets.
In all these instances one has to expect difficulties
because it requires generally that certain bores in the system
are aligned, but on account of variations in loading, this align-
mint is not obtained so that the locking pin insertion cannot take
place. This involves, for example, situations of bores in the
tension rod or the spring disk or the housing or the like. In
practice of course one will try to manipulate the equipment to
restore the requisite alignment, for example, through lifting of
the tubing; however, this is a manual operation and may require a
considerable force that is not necessarily commensurate with the
requisite precision of alignment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a resilient
suspension for tubes permitting an adjustment of the locking
position in any disposition of the spring vis-a-vis the load
supporting tension rod, and in a further relation to the spring
housing. Moreover, the resilient suspension is to be constructed
so that the locking position permits a suitable adjustment of the
bias of the spring suspension on a steady scale.
The invention provides a resilient suspension for tubular
conduits comprising:
a tubular casing having a bottom;
a sleeve extending into the casing and mounted on said
bottom;
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a compression spring in said housing enclosing said sleeve
and bearing with one end against said bottom;
a tension rod having a spring disk affixed thereto, said
spring disk being situated in said casing and bearing against the
other end of said spring;
said sleeve having an axial dimension within said casing
slightly larger than the axial dimension of said spring when fully
compressed; and
stop means threaded onto the tension rod to limit, through
abutment with the casing or a portion stationary relative the
casing, displacement of the tension rod commensurate to deco-
press ion of said spring.
Preferably, there is a spacer ring made of synthetic
material provided between the tension rod and the sleeve.
Preferably the sleeve also extends downwards below the
case bottom and the threadec~on stop is constructed as an abutment
ring which bears against the lower axial end face of the sleeve.
A supplementary sleeve may be provided to grip around the abutment
ring and to be engaged onto a threaded Portion of the first mentioned
sleeve which extends below the spring housing, but is otherwise
freely movable. Issue supplementary sleeve locks the tension rod
to the casing.
The abutment ring preferably has an axial bore traversing
its inner thread for insertion of a pin made of a soft synthetic
material and being amenable at its outer periphery to be squeezed
into the outer thread on the tension rod. Alternatively, the
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abutment ring may be provided with a radial bore into which a soft
synthetic screw can be threaded. Either method locks the stop ring
to the tension rod.
As an alternative embodiment the tension rod could be
extended upwards beyond the disk, and on the tension rod is engaged
a threaded sleeve which is slidingly received in the cover of
the casing. Moreover, this threaded sleeve has a collar bearing
on the inside of the cover of the casing.
The inventive construction offers the advantage that the
abutment or stop member is displaceable relative to the tension
rod, and therefore can assume any disposition vis-a-vis the tension
rod with reference to the spring housing or casing to effect engage-
mint therewith. In this fashion it can serve as an abutment so
that in the no-load condition, the tension of the spring is
retained. In other words, the spring remains in compression. In
case of an increase of the load, the sleeve in the interior of the
casing serves as abutment for the spring disk so that a blocking
position of the spring is safely avoided.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly
pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is
regarded as the invention, it if believed that the invention,
and features and advantages thereof will be better understood from
the following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the resilient suspension
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being shown in a non-abutment position;
Figure 2 shows the same suspension device as Figure 1 but
in one of the two stop positions of the tension rod;
Figure 3 is a similar longitudinal section, but showing a
slight modification.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the inventive resilient
suspension device includes a spring casing 3 which contains a
compression spring 5 in coaxial relation. This compression spring
5 is biased between a bottom end 6 of the casing 3 and a spring
disk 7. A tension rod 1 is secured centrally and coccal with
the disk 7. The tension rod 1 is screw-threaded, and particularly
has a threaded portion 2 near its lower end 1 for engagement with
a conventional load bearing carrier or the like (not shown), which
in turn is connectable to a tube or conduit, is likewise not shown.
The portion of the rod to which this load bearing carrier or
suspension device is connected projects from the casing 3 through
the bottom 6.
The tension rod 1 is received in part by a sleeve 8
radially spaced from the rod, and in turn received within the
spring 5. The sleeve 8 also projects to some extent below the
bottom 6 of the casing 3. As illustrated in Figure 1, the sleeve
8 to the extent it projects into casing 3 ills an axial dimension
which appears to be shorter than the axial dimension of the spring
5. However, these dimensions are chosen such that upon full come
press ion the spring 5 will in fact have an axial dimension smaller
than the axial dimension of the sleeve 8 inside casing 3. Therefore,
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the upper end pa of the sleeve 8 can serve as abutment and stop
for the spring disk 7 whenever the compression of the spring
reaches a near limit situation. This will occur when the load on
the tension rod is too high, and constitutes one stop position for
the rod 1. The sleeve 8 is fixed to the casing 3, as by welding.
An abutment ring 4 is engaged onto the threaded portion 2
of the tension rod 1. Independently of the position of the
tension rod vis-a-vis the casing 3, the abutment ring 4 may be
brought into abutment with the lower end face 8b of the sleeve 8.
This specific position of abutment is shown in Figure 2. This
feature thus limits the expandability of the spring and constitutes
the second stop position for the rod 1.
Figure 2 illustrates moreover a supplemental sleeve 10
which is threaded onto a thread 9 on the sleeve 8. This supple-
mental sleeve 10 has a collar portion which extends under the ring
4. This means that the sleeve 10 when threaded onto the sleeve 8
can prevent downwards displacement of the tension rod 1 via the
annuls 4 threaded on the tension rod 1, namely whenever the ring
4 abuts the inwardly extending collar of the supplemental sleeve 10.
The ring 4 moreover is provided with a radial bore 11
into which a set screw 12 is threadedly inserted. Preferably a
rather soft synthetic material is used for that purpose. The tip
of the screw can engage the thread 2 in whatever disposition ring
4 occupies to lock the abutment ring 4 against unwanted displace-
mint and thereby positively define the disposition of the ring 4
on the tension rod 1, which of course is an adjustable position
71
vis-a-vis the abutment position it may attain under certain load
conditions as against the axial front face pa of the sleeve 8.
Another feature which can be observed is a sleeve 18 comprising a
spacer made of synthetic material. The sleeve 18 is also threaded
onto the tension rod 1, and slidingly enrages the interior of the
sleeve 8.
The locking position of the ring 4 can in the alternative
be attained by a pin which is likewise made of a soft synthetic
material, but which axially traverses the thread of the ring 4,
and can be wedged into the thread of the tension rod 1 to accord-
tingly lock the ring 4 into the adjusted position.
It can thus be seen that the ring 4 can be threaded onto
the tension rod 1 and arrested thereon in a particular position.
This then establishes a limit in the expansion of the spring 5.
In other words, the spring 5 is never being fully extended or
relieved, but rather its extension is limited by the ring 4. On
the other hand, the axial dimension of the spring 5 vis-a-vis the
axial dimension of the sleeve 8 limits the amount of compression
the spring 5 may undergo before being blocked. Finally, the supple-
mental sleeve 10 permits locking of the tension rod 1 in a position
in which irrespective of the load conditions on the tension God 1,
the abutment ring 4 is forced against the lower end of the sleeve 8.
These various dispositions of adjustment are finely and accurately
adjustable simply through the threading of the ring 4 on rod 1 and
the treading of sleeve 10 on sleeve 8.
The example shown in Figure 3 employ the basic print
supply outlined above, except that certain physical relationships
_ 7
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are reversed without change of function. In this example, the rod
1 has been extended beyond the spring disk 7, the extension being
denoted by reference numeral 21, and the threading of that extension
by reference numeral 22. A supplemental sleeve 14 is threaded onto
the extension 21, and is slid ably disposed vis-a-vis the casing
cover 13. This cover is likewise provided in the embodiment shown
in Figure 1 and 2 but there it does not have any specific function.
In Figure 3 it is used as an element for guiding the sleeve 14, and
of course it closes the casing 3 from above. This sleeve 14 has a
collar 15 which can be made to bear against the cover 13 from below
and thereby provide a predetermined limit position for the tension
rod 1 when it has been threaded into the sleeve 14. This way one
positions the tension rod 1 and avoids complete decompression of
the spring. The sleeve 8 in this embodiment fulfills the same
function as before, i.e., it prevents the complete compression of
the sprint 5.
It can thus be seen that the effect of the spring 5 is
adjustable through appropriate position control on the tension
rod 1, which, as per Figures 1 and 2, can be provided on the lower
portion, i.e., underneath the sprint housing 3, while in the
embodiment of Figure 3 this position adjustment is carried out in
the upper portion of the system.
It should be noted that the suspension shown in FicJure 2
is usable not only as a resilient hanger, but also, with a slight
modification as a spring support. For the latter use the spring 5
would be arranged on the opposite side of the disk 7.
